Fast Fashion: A Blessing or a Curse?

It used to be customary to only buy clothing once or twice a year when we grew out of them or when the seasons changed. About 20 years ago, the fashion bug infected us all and we just needed more for less. Enter fast fashion: trendy clothes produced much faster and cheaper than ever before. It all seemed too good to be true. But what exactly is fast fashion and what effect has it had on the world around us?

Fast fashion brands, the brands that dominate all of our closets, stem from the fast pace at which the fashion industry is moving. The fashion industry is clouded with billions of companies that need to release new lines almost weekly just to gauge demand and create profit for themselves. This demand needs supply and fast so big brands result in outsourcing cheap labour in often impoverished areas to make the goods as cheaply and quickly as possible.

Fast fashion is a complicated topic that is highly debated about within the media and by activists. The ecological impacts are undeniable, with the fast fashion industry being one one of the highest polluters of fresh water. Not only does mass producing clothing on such a scale take up a huge amount of energy, the actual materials that most clothes considered fast fashion are made of, are so ecologically taxing. Synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon and spandex use up to 342 millions of barrels of oil per year. Furthermore, mass production often leads to huge amounts of waste. Over 100 billion garments are thrown away every year and often end up in the landfills of impoverished countries. Furthermore, the production of these clothing items has led to the exploitation of workers in countries, without proper labour laws, particularly in the far east and southern Asia. Many workers work in horrible conditions, being exposed to many toxic chemicals. A large amount of these workers are also children, with child labour being a huge issue within this industry. Moreover, most fast fashion companies have failed to be transparent regarding their supply chain and the production of their products, leading to a large percent of people being completely unaware of the damage many companies are causing.

However, despite the obvious dangers associated with fast fashion, the benefits are hard to ignore. The consumer is able to keep up with the latest trends without having to break the bank. Furthermore, whilst fast fashion is extremely harmful, many people don’t have the option of anything else. At the end of the day fast fashion is cheap, accessible and (sometimes) fashionable. Many low income people and families can only afford to buy these types of clothes, as sustainable clothing is often much more expensive and out of price range for most people. Almost everyone reading this right now probably gets their clothes from fast fashion companies such as Zara, H&M or Gap… and honestly, it makes sense. No one is about to spend an unreasonable amount of money at stores like Gucci everytime they need new clothes.

Fast fashion is one of the largest industries on the plant, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Fast fashion utilizes large fashion trends and mass produces them at an affordable price, allowing the everyday person to look like a celebrity. Fast fashion has some undeniable advantages, such as being affordable and easily accessible, however the environmental and social impacts are hard to ignore. A large percent of fast fashion clothes are inspired by fashion week, where the trendiest looks are presented every year. With fashion week coming up, we are all left to wonder about what new items are soon to be hitting the market… come back next month for a full rundown of the New York, London, Milan, and Paris fashion weeks.

While fast fashion is impossible to get rid of, and many will continue to purchase it, there are many actions we can all take to reduce our impact on the environment. As fashion week approaches, attempt to be more fashionable from ethically sourced stores and thrift stores. Whenever an ethical fashion option presents itself, take it! You are benefitting more than you can think of.

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